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Title: Beware of cute, pink fairies
Source:
Toledo Free Press
URL Source: http://www.toledofreepress.com/?id=3952
Published: Sep 14, 2006
Author: Traci Curth
Post Date: 2006-09-14 02:17:34 by Trace21231
Keywords: None
Views: 103
Comments: 4
She's cute, pink and fuzzy. She might make your daughter want to be a – GASP! – girly girl. And apparently, she is also a threat to little girls everywhere. She's Abby Cadabby, the newest Muppet to take up residence on Sesame Street. Yes, parents that's right. In addition to the usual threats to our children – strangers, http://MySpace.com, too much junk food – we now have to protect our little girls from a pink fairy-in-training puppet. Or at least that's what one parental watchdog group wants you to believe. A group called – get this – the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood says that little Abby is helping people buy “into the girly, girly commercialized image of what it is to be feminine.” They also think that “the last thing little girls needs is one more pink fairy.” Oh, and did I mention that this group also thinks it would have been better if Sesame Street had instead created an Asian girl who was good at math? No, I'm not kidding. They would rather our kids be entertained by a stereotype image instead of a fuzzy pink fairy. I'm guessing that their math whiz kid also wouldn't be pink. It boggles my mind in all honesty. I mean she's a Muppet. She is on a television show geared toward children ages 2 to 4. Preschoolers do not understand commercialization. They certainly don't understand gender stereotypes. And, they probably don't care if grown ups think pink is a bad color. They just want to have fun. Personally, I think the folks at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood have way too much free time on their hands and should stop worrying about my kid. I can worry about her just fine on my own. I don't need any help from some wacky right-wing conspiracy theorists who think that everything commercial is bad for children. And, don't even get me started on the religious Web sites that are claiming Abby is practicing witchcraft. Yes, she's a fairy-in-training and her mom works full time as a fairy godmother. But, Abby finds everyday things such as numbers and letters magical too. Oh, and did I mention that Abby is supposed to be 3 years old? A 3-year-old practicing witchcraft? I think not. Let's remember something folks – Abby is a puppet. She's not real. One of her best pals is a furry red guy named Elmo. She hangs out with a six-foot tall yellow bird and a cookie obsessed blue monster. It's not the real world. Aside from all of that nonsense, I just want to know what is so bad about being a girly girl? When did pink become such an offensive color? What is wrong with little girls wanting to be fairies and princesses? I don't understand why anyone would tell little girls that wanting to be the princess in a pink dress is wrong. Let little girls be girly girls. Let them like fairies and princesses and the color pink. Let them have their make-believe while they are still young enough to enjoy it. And as far as my daughter is concerned, a girl Muppet who likes the color pink and wants to be a fairy is just fine as a role model. My daughter is, after all, only going to be 3 years old. I'd rather she watch pink fairies and princesses than Paris Hilton's latest music video.
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#2. To: Trace21231 (#0)
What a fairy!
#4. To: Peetie Wheatstraw (#2)
(Edited)
ooooh! i think she's LOVELY :) i don't care how unreconstructed or politically incorrect i am - if she was handed to me i'd cuddle her and i wouldn't feel bad about it either...so there!
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